LA County Supervisors Request Sheriff's Audit

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Looking to root out corruption and fraud, The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors today asked for an audit of the sheriff's Aero Bureau and its Boating and Waterways Division.

High-ranking deputies with the Aero Bureau have been accused of allowing a contractor to grossly overcharge -- as much as $11 million by some estimates -- the county for work on its fleet of helicopters.

A county report -- not made public by the county but obtained by the Los Angeles Times -- recommended that deputies in charge of bureau be investigated for conflicts of interest, violations of county purchasing rules and deliberately circumventing the Board of Supervisors.

Purchases of $250,000 or more, or services that cost $100,000 or more, are supposed to be approved by the Board of Supervisors, but deputies in the Aero Bureau were able to make numerous purchases that violated that county policy. In some cases, they bought items, such as night-vision goggle, when the unit already had plenty.

Supervisor Don Knabe also asked for an operational and fiscal audit of the sheriff's Harbor Patrol, which operates in Marina del Rey and the Port of Los Angeles.. A Knabe spokesman said the audit was asked for "just to be sure nothing else is going on."

Sheriff Lee Baca asked to spend $265,000 in federal Homeland Security money on a sonar-equipped boat to be used to look for explosive devices in countys waterways, but that was delayed until after the audits.

Supervisor Gloria Molina said that $265,000 purchase should be included in the audit.

Staffers in the Auditor-Controller's Office are supposed to have the report completed and ready to present to the Board of Supervisors in 30 days.